A Temporary Fix
by Midground
Summary: Marceline is finally back in Ooo, but she hasn't seen Bubblegum since their breakup. That changes one night when Finn and Jake invite her to a party. This story takes place during the episode "Power Animal." EDIT: Now beta'd with a revised beginning.


Author's Note: This story was written using the Big Damn Table from the Fanfic100 challenge community (see here at fanfic100 . livejournal . com / profile). I am not officially participating in the challenge, but I am going to be working my way through the prompts with two friends of mine, Mothface and greenisthecolorofmyenvy. Go check out their stuff!

Rating: This story is rated T because I consider relationships and breakups to be adult themes.

Prompt: #20 Colorless

EDIT: Many thanks to Mothface for some serious beta work to clean up the beginning of this piece. Hopefully it reads a little smoother now!

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><p>One afternoon in a certain pink house that happened to be in a certain cozy cave, Ooo's resident Vampire Queen was hard at work cleaning and caring for her collection of bases. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor of her living room. Her Axe and Butterfly basses were laid out to her right while a pile of cleaning supplies stood at the ready on her left. Her Fender Telecaster rested in her lap. Marceline's tongue poked out of the corner of her mouth, face twisted in concentration as she buffed away the accumulated smudges on the base's body with an old sweater turned rag. The Vampire Queen was dressed simply, wearing a gray beater and jeans. Her hair, normally wild and free, was pulled back in a loose ponytail to keep it out of her face while she worked. Not a care was given, after all, this was one of the first lazy days she'd had since returning to Ooo.<p>

The wear and tear of her extended hiatus was reflected in her basses. They were dirty and beat up, they lacked the luster of their former years, and each one desperately needed new strings. The current ones were caked with grime and feeble with age. But those things could be fixed, and Marceline was determined to fix them today.

The wear and tear on her personally was less obvious. When you're a 1000 year old vampire, wear and tear doesn't really show up on the surface, not like it does on a bass. Yet Marceline certainly felt it. Of course, she never showed it in public. No. Marceline was the Vampire Queen. Vampire Queens didn't mope about. But sometimes when she was alone... well. Perhaps she floated an inch lower when she moved around her house. Perhaps the songs she wrote just for her own ears contained a melancholy she'd be carrying around for far too long. Old heartache does have a way of weighing a girl down, after all. And though Marceline was determined to fix those things as well, she doubted that they were going to be resolved in one lazy afternoon.

Marceline had just finished de-smudging the body of the Telecaster and was moving on to the neck when a knock on her front door and a familiar voice caused her to pause.

"Hey Marceline! You in there?"

It was Finn and probably Jake as well since those two were pretty much inseparable.

Marceline lowered her bass gently to the floor, stood, and dusted herself off, wiping her hands clean on a section of the sweater she was using. She glanced over and saw Finn's face pressed against the glass of her door, and she laughed, clearing away the introspection she'd been caught up in as she worked. Her feet left the floor and she floated over to open the door. There was Finn and, sure enough, Jake as well, both of them standing there with a solemn air.

"Hey guys, what's up?" She asked with an easy grin as she hovered carefully out of the line of light from the afternoon sun.

"Marceline," Finn began seriously, bending down on one knee and holding up a folded piece of paper above his head. "Please accept this humble invitation to the Celestial Alignment party Jake and I are throwing tonight." He looked up at her as she took the offering from his outstretched hands. "It is my sworn duty to inform you that this party is gonna be TOTALLY OFF THE HOOK CRAZY-AWESOME!"

Finn leaped up and high-fived Jake who then stretched up and flipped open the invitation for her.

"Yeah it's sorta like an exclusive club kinda deal. You gotta have that to get in!" Marceline looked down at the invitation and started laughing again. It was drawn out in crayon and was just a picture of their tree house with some scribbled people on the roof and 3 stars overhead. "Hey what's so funny," Jake harrumphed, "I'm gonna be a bouncer and everything!" His body expanded until he was taller than Marceline and dangerous-looking with rippling muscle and a mean look on his face, which was ruined by a little 'Heh heh' that he couldn't keep in.

"So, what, it's a rooftop party then?" Marceline asked, still chuckling a little as Jake began striking ridiculous muscle-man poses.

"Yeah man! Or – WO-man!" Finn affirmed, pumping his fist in the air for emphasis. "So are you gonna come?"

"Yeah sure, sounds like a blast," Marceline grinned with genuine excitement as she pushed a stray strand of hair our of her face. Trust those two goof-balls to cheer her up and kick her butt into party mode.

Jake shrunk back down and then bumped Finn in the side and whispered in his ear. "Oh yeah!" Finn continued, "Jake and I forgot to write when it starts on the invitations, but just come over after sundown. Oh and don't worry, we already have snacks or... drinks or... hmm." He broke off suddenly thoughtful. "Do vampires do snacks and drinks?" He asked.

"Only red ones, but I'm sure there'll be plenty of red drinks already at the party," she hinted ominously, baring her fangs and looking right at Jake. Jake 'eep'd' and hid behind Finn.

"We'll make sure there's plenty of red drinks for you at the party! And not blood-drinks, drink-drinks. With straws. And paper cups. And an ice-cooler!" Jake promised quickly. Finn and Marceline laughed.

"Alright cool." Marceline said breezily, losing the scary act, "And I'll bring my bass too. You guys gonna need some smooth jams to groove to?"

"Yeah dude! Sounds awesome. This party is gonna be sah-weeeeeet!" Finn sang, his voice shooting up in register on the last word.

"Ok, see you later then, have fun handing out the rest of the invitations."

"Thanks Marceline, have fun with your junk too!" Finn replied, and he and Jake went bounding off.

Marceline shut the door, tossed the invitation on her couch, and returned to her basses, this time with a small smile on her lips.

Several hours (and half a bottle of Flower City's finest Lemon and Linseed oil polish) later, and Marceline was finished. She had barely even noticed the time flying by. A quick check of the last few slanting rays on sunlight visible through the front door told her that it was time to get ready and head over to Finn and Jake's. She didn't really feel like getting sun-proofed just to fly over to the tree house, so she took her time putting away her Butterfly and Telecaster and all the cleaning supplies.

By the time she was tying up her red boots, the sun had set. She pulled her hair out of the ponytail and shook it out, letting it fall in its long waves down almost to the floor. As a finishing touch, Marceline slung the now gleaming family Axe over her shoulder. She grinned to herself. If she had still been able to see her reflection in a mirror, she'd see a dirty but satisfied rocker girl, greasy with guitar polish from a long day spent cleaning her basses and not giving a flip about it. In other words: perfect.

She stepped out onto the front porch, made sure her Axe was secure, then ascended slowly into the air. She had enough time to take a leisurely flight through the skies of Ooo, seeing as she was still a little early. And besides, Marceline had missed these quiet flights in the years she had spent away from this place.

With a small smile, Marceline turned over in the air so that she was gliding on her back and looking up at the first few faint stars visible in a sky still pink with the sunset. Her smile vanished. Pink... now there was a color she didn't like to think about. She hadn't seen Bonnibel since her return to Ooo. Not that she should expect to! It was just... weird, that was all. Her life had been centered around that prissy pink Princess for so long, she was bound to feel a little strange about not seeing her after being away. Not that any of it had been Marceline's choice anyway.

She frowned and turned back over, watching as the Burning Lands gave way to the gently rolling hills of the Verdant Plains where the tree house was. Here she was, dwelling on the past again and getting all bitter about it... she was supposed to be working through that junk. That's why she'd come back in the first place! No more running. No more pretending it hadn't happened. She was totally prepared to face Bonnibel again. She'd been ready to deal with miss priss and move on with her life for good at the Grand Meeting of Ooo Royalty, but Bonnibel hadn't been there. Which was crazy-weird.

Marceline wouldn't (and didn't!) think twice about missing the hundreds and hundreds of important royal meetings, galas, balls, councils, and fetes that she had skipped out on when she left, but missing even one teeny-tiny Grand Meeting was sure to drive Bonnibel bonkers. Whatever had kept her away must have been big. And whatever it was kept this first meeting with Bonnibel still hanging over her head. It was probably going to be unbearable, surrounded by all the pomp and circumstance of Ooo's stupid grand gatherings. Marceline groaned at the thought. And here she was STILL thinking about her ex! Glob, what was wrong with her? It was time to get into party mode!

It was truly dark now. Marceline shook off her funk just as the tree house came into view. She squinted and saw that a bunch of people were already there. Suddenly, a figure at the base of the tree caught her eye. The yellow smudge resolved itself into Jake, waving her down. Marceline shrugged slightly and flew down, landing in front of him. "Hey Jake," she said amiably. In response, he puffed up into bouncer mode and fixed her with a mean stare.

"Where's your invitation? Nobody gets in without an invitation!" He barked at her.

"Oh beans!" She exclaimed, and smacked herself in the forehead, "I left it on the couch. Whatever, no big deal right?"

"It is SO a big deal!" Jake cried out, waving his beefy arms in the air. Marceline just quirked an eyebrow at him. "Alright alright, it's not a problem. This time! But you better not let this happen again!" He said sternly, crossing his arms. His glare was ruined as he snickered, then shrunk back down. "Ahh, I'm just messin' with ya. Come on up, girl, I got some juice with your name on it!" He stretched until he was even with the roof and stepped onto it. Marceline floated after him, the murmur of voices hitting her about halfway up. It got louder as Marceline drew even with and glided onto the roof.

It looked like Finn and Jake had tried to move their living room up for the party. The couch and a table were there, along with an end table that had a toaster on it. Most of the guests were crowding around the snacks and chatting with each other. Marceline recognized a few faces: there was Cinnamon Bun, who she never really spoke to, Peppermint Butler, who she had always gotten along with, and Hotdog Princess, who she only knew through royal events. There was also a Lumpy Space Person that seemed kind of familiar, Beemo, some purple chick, a cube cowboy, two tiny Gumdrop People, a Rainicorn, and a big fat green guy with a gnome hat. And of course, there was...

"Finn!" She called out, waving at him when he turned from slicing a giant cupcake.

"Marceline!" He replied, and back flipped over to her.

"Heh heh, nice moves dude!" Jake complimented, holding out his fist.

"Thanks man," Finn grinned, returning the fist-bump.

"I'm gonna go grab Marceline her juice, be right back!" Jake said, walking away and immediately getting distracted by Beemo.

"Ha ha, he'll be back eventually," Finn promised. Then he noticed Marceline's Axe-Bass. "Woah! Marceline, your bass looks awesome!"

She grinned and swung it down from her shoulder and held it out. "Thanks, I was working on it today. It's gonna sound so rad when I play it for you guys!" Finn crouched down close and dragged his finger along the smoothly polished surface.

"Badicle! So do you want to start playing?" He asked.

"Yeah, in a minute, I need to get more of a vibe for this party first," Marceline replied, slinging the bass back over her shoulder. "It looks pretty sweet though. Did you and Jake set this up all by yourself?"

"Well, Jake and I did the leg work with the invitations, but the Celestial Alignment party was Peebles' idea," Finn explained, doing a half flip and landing in a hand stand.

Peebles? Marceline didn't recognize the name. Maybe it was the chick by the snacks? She looked over at the guests again, "I didn't realize you were friends with so many Candy People," she mused.

Finn balanced on one hand and carefully distributed his weight so that he could look up at Marceline."Yeah, I kick a lot of monster butts in the Candy Kingdom, so I know them all pretty well." He overbalanced slightly, tumbled over onto the ground, and shrugged. "Plus PB is here."

"PB?" Marceline glanced at the Gumdrop People.

Finn stood. "Yeah, you know, Peebles, PB, Princess Bubblegum..." He caught sight of Jake walking back over to them and turned away, missing the pole-axed look on Marceline's face. "Yo dude," he greeted the dog, "What's up? You get Marceline's juice?"

"Nah man, I just realized I left the cooler downstairs in the house. Plus we're out of chips. Wanna come get all that stuff with me?"

"Yeah sure!" Finn agreed, and the two started walking to the ladder. "Be right back Marceline!" He called over his shoulder.

Marceline's float gave out and her feet smacked to the roof of the tree house, her knees buckling slightly with the impact. Bonnibel was here? Finn was friends with Bonnibel? Invite-her-to-parties friends? Marceline's mind ran around and around with that thought, until it was silenced by an even more pressing concern – where was she?

Marceline took to the air again and this time hovered high above the party. Her eyes scanned the guests quickly, and then she looked over across the roof to the boat that was stuck on one of the branches of the tree house. There she was. She had been blocked by the couch and by an umbrella that was sitting next to her. She was turned away from the party, studying the sky through the telescope Finn and Jake had mounted in the boat. Marceline felt her insides twist. That was so like Bonnibel.

She looked just the same as Marceline remembered her. She was still wearing that same prudish pink Royal Dress, and it didn't seem like she had aged a day. Which made sense. Bonnibel always used to say that anything older than 18 was a waste of Candy Biomass, and that she was quite comfortable at 18, thank-you-very-much. She hadn't changed at all. And that was more painful than Marceline had ever imagined it would be. If her heart had still been beating, it would have been aching.

Just then Finn and Jake reappeared at the top of the ladder. "ROOF PARTY!" Finn bellowed, a huge bag of chips under one arm. "Watch this everybody!" Marceline could see Bonnibel turning, so she dropped back down so that she was hidden by the couch. Finn went into a complicated series of acrobatics. "Triple flip with chips for the dip!" He shouted as he landed, throwing the chips down on the table. Everyone cheered.

"Watch this everybody!" Jake mimicked, twisting his body around, "A cooler! With stuff for the thing!" The cooler fell from his back and spilled onto the ground. He looked at it, shrugged, and chuckled a bit.

Bonnibel turned back to the telescope, so Marceline flew over to Jake and he handed her one of the drinks from the pile of ice on the ground.

"Here ya go," Jake said proudly. "Plenty of red for you. And none of it's my blood!" Marceline smiled weakly at him, the rest of the conversation going on unnoticed around her as she flew back to study Bonnibel. Glob, she was so certain she had been ready to face her again. But Bonnibel being here tonight was a total shock, and she had NOT been prepared.

As Marceline was staring at her, she turned again, too quickly for the vampire to duck away. "It's starting everyone!" She called out, looking over to the guests on the roof. "The Celestial Alignment!" As everyone ooo'd and aah'd and looked up towards the sky, Bonnibel's gaze traveled upwards as well, until she was looking straight at Marceline. For a moment their eyes locked, and Marceline could see the same shock and surprise she had felt mirrored in Bonnibel's face. Marceline tore her gaze away and looked up as ribbons of color began flashing and dancing across the black, star-speckled sky.

Apparently, Bonnibel hadn't known that Finn was inviting Marceline either. In fact, it didn't seem like Finn had even told her that Marceline was around. Which helped, a little bit at least. Marceline wasn't the only one who felt lost and unsure of herself. But then she remembered that it wasn't SUPPOSED to be her and Bonnibel against the world anymore, and then she just felt miserable again.

She snuck a glance down and saw that Bonnibel had gotten out of the boat and moved over to join the rest of the party. She was currently looking at the sky and laughing a bit at something Finn had said to her. If she could feel Marcline looking at her, she didn't react at all.

The vampire returned her attention to the sky and did her best to ignore the part of her that wanted to float down and say something funny so that SHE was the one making Bonnibel laugh. It wasn't easy, but she could do this. She could move on. She had to. She would go up to her during the party once the Celestial Alignment was over. She would say hi, ask Bonnibel how she'd been, make some polite conversation, and then leave. She would make sure Bonnibel knew that she was getting along just fine without the Princess in her life.

Except it didn't turn out to be that easy. Once the last few waves of celestial light had faded out of the sky, Marceline had gone down to say her piece. But Bonnibel continued to move away from her, engaging in various conversations with the other guests. It didn't exactly seem like she was ignoring Marceline on purpose, but the vampire knew what was going on. Then Finn came up to her and asked her if she'd play something, and Marceline began jamming while Jake accompanied her on his viola and Beemo laid down some beats. As always, Marceline got lost in the music, and when she, Jake, and Beemo finished playing a couple songs together, Bonnibel and Peppermint Butler were both nowhere to be seen.

Marceline went over to Finn, who was saying good-bye to the Gumdrop People. "Hey Finn, did Bonnibel leave?"

"Alright, thanks again guys, see ya!" He called to the Gumdrop People. He turned to Marceline. "Who?"

"Princess Bubblegum!" She explained, her cheeks tinging slightly with pink.

"Oh, woah. Bubblegum's not her first name?" Finn asked, clearly amazed. "Hey Jake!" he yelled to his friend who was sitting on the couch with the Rainicorn.

"What's up dude?" Jake yelled back.

"Did you know that Princess Bubblegum's first name is actually Bonnibel?" Finn hollered.

"Woah, no way brother! I had no idea!" He turned to the Rainicorn, "Did you know Lady?" The Rainicorn shook her head and said something in Korean, causing Jake to laugh.

"Man, you just blew my mind!" Finn exclaimed, turning back to Marceline. "Sorry, wait, what was the question again?"

Marceline huffed in annoyance, disturbing a strand of hair that had fallen across her face. "Did Bonnibel leave when I was playing?" She asked again.

"Oh. Yeah she did. She said she had to get back to do some Candy Kingdom junk pretty much right when you started playing. Which was a bummer because I think she would have really liked your music."

"Uhh... yeah, I'm sure she would have..." Marceline said awkwardly. "Anyway, I gotta go too... I've got some stuff I need to do."

"Oh ok dude, thanks for coming! And thanks for playing, it was awesome." Finn said with a smile.

"Yeah sure, no problem. See ya Jake!" She waved to both of them as she secured her bass around her shoulder and flew away.

"Bye Marceline!" Jake called out in return.

As Marceline flew away, the last thing she heard was Finn saying "Man, I really wish that creepy dude would leave too." And then she was too far away to hear anything else. She headed out along the road to the Candy Kingdom, determined to catch Bonnibel and get this over with before it stretched on any longer.

She found the Princess at the edge of the forest that marked the eastern border of the Candy Kingdom. Peppermint Butler was nowhere to be seen, and Bonnibel herself had stopped and was waiting off the path a bit under a cotton candy tree. It seemed like she was waiting for Marceline, but she didn't react at all when she caught sight of the vampire. Marceline couldn't tell what she was thinking. Her expression was completely unreadable.

The casual, nonchalant 'Oh hey Bonnibel' that Marceline had been preparing for weeks died on her lips as she landed in front of the Princess, and instead her first words to Bonnibel since their breakup were "Are you waiting for me?" Marceline could have kicked herself for sounding so hopeful about it.

"I had a feeling you would be doing something like this," Bonnibel said evenly.

"Yeah well it's not my fault you avoided me during the whole party, and..." Marceline began heatedly. She paused and groped for control, "I was only trying to say hi." She finished calmly, her voice slightly strained from the way her stomach kept tying itself in knots. How did Bonnibel make it look so effortless? This meeting should have been killing her too.

"I didn't know what your intentions were," Bonnibel said tonelessly, "I thought it best to meet you away from such a public area. You've been well, I trust?"

"You've been well I trust?" Marceline repeated, staring at the Princess. That's all Bonnibel had to say to her? As though she were some irritating minor member of Candy Kingdom nobility that Bonnibel hated but was forced to be polite to during formal occasions? This was worse than Marceline's nightmare. They weren't meeting at some gathering of Ooo royalty, forced to keep their emotional baggage from spilling out all over the place. They were alone and Bonnibel wasn't even acting like she didn't want to be there. No. Less than that. She was completely indifferent.

As Marceline stared into Bonnibel's eyes, searching for some sign that she was hurting and finding nothing, she realized something. Bonnibel _should_ be upset. There were so many things left unsaid between them. There was no way Bonnibel felt nothing. She was just trying to beat Marceline at her own game, and Marceline had played right into it, letting the Princess get her off balance from the very beginning. A slow grin worked its way onto Marceline's lips and her posture shifted from anger and hurt to confidence. Ahh, there it was: a spark of uncertainty in Bonnibel's eyes. Her rigid indifference cracked and ripped a bit at the seams.

"I've been just fine, Princess," Marceline finally answered, "I've been around the world a few times. Seen a bit of this, a bit of that. Kept busy. What about you? Has ruling the Candy Kingdom gotten boring yet?" She could see it now. Bonnibel was struggling to maintain control and not take the bait.

"On the contrary," Bonnibel corrected, not quite managing the same emotionless intonation as before, "I've found the burdens and pleasures of Princess-ship to be highly rewarding."

"Oh yeah? Well that's cool, I guess," Marceline said as insultingly as possible. A faint red blush of anger rose in Bonnibel's cheeks. Her defenses were rapidly crumbling. Just one more little push. "So..." Marceline began, drawing it out and being deliberately annoying about it, "What's up with you and Finn?" Wait for it... "Are you two like... an item now?" Snap goes the Princess.

"MARCELINE! Ugh!" Bonnibel shouted, her uncaring facade dropping in an instant. "He's like 13 years old! And that's in HUMAN years! What do you think I am, a pedophile?" She was really working herself up now, trembling with anger and emotion, arms waving around wildly to accompany each accusation. "Or desperate? Do you think I haven't had any offers since we broke up? You haven't changed a bit! Glob, you are SO infuriating!" She crossed her arms and turned away in a huff. Marceline watched her seethe for a moment, then chuckled. Instantly Bonnibel whirled around, fixing her with an absolutely withering glare.

"It's nice to know you still care," Marceline said softly. Bonnibel's eyes went wide and her arms dropped to her sides. She opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Marceline flew off, throwing a hasty "See you later Bonnibel!" over her shoulder. Marceline felt lighter than she had in years. And even though she knew that there was still a long way to go before things were truly ok, she was smiling as she glanced back at one utterly stunned Princess Bonnibel Bubblegum. Laughing wildly, Marceline turned invisible and disappeared into the night.


End file.
